"VBCW: Republic of Ireland sent troops into Ulster" Topic

Interesting situation. My understanding from The Source Book (Third Edition) is The Republic of Ireland sent troops into Ulster "purportedly to help restore order and protect Eire's borders …" at a time when the rest of the United Kingdom was still united, although hugely discontented.

The Republic's army (1940) was 17,156 strong equipped with 42,413 rifles; 36 sub-machine guns of various types; 478 Vickers medium and 906 assorted light machine-guns (mainly Lewis guns); 103 Bren guns; 41 Boyes anti-tank rifles; and one British 2 pounder. 48 Brant 81 mm mortars and a single 60 mm piece. 3 tanks, 25 armoured cars, 29 18 pounder field guns, four 4.5 inch and four 3.7 inch howitzers. Two British 3.7 inch and four Swedish 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.

Northern Ireland District had five infantry battalions and one heavy artillery battery.

With the Scots still forming part of the Union, what did the Republic hope to achieve? And that was before the mighty legions of The League of Nations were unleashed!

Fascinating war game idea. I like VBCW very much, it's as much a puzzle as as a war game …and no losers, because it's a game. Enjoy.

Thats a lot of tanks ….

I think you mean the Irish Free State which is what Eire was at that time.

It did not officially become a republic until 1949.

Broglie, OK, thanks.

Well it effectively became a republic in 1937, with the constitution and adopted the name Eire then.

Hence the use of 'EIRE' painted on ships in WW2…

The Irish Army had around 13,000 troops in May 1940 but that increased to 32,000 some six months later. There were also Bren Carriers, and aircraft consisted of Gladiators, Lysanders, Ansons and Walrus plus a bunch of training aircraft. The armies main problem was in regards clothing, which it had difficulty supplying and in regards webbing it was solely reliant on supply from the UK. I think there was also six 3.7" AA guns as they were stripped and overhauled in 1940. The majority of the armoured cars were improvised, many by Thompson & Sons in Carlow.

One 2-Pounder AT gun was acquired in 1940, no more till 1943. The tanks were two Landsverk L60 delivered in 35/36 to join the solitary Vickers Mk D, that was eventually scrapped at the end of 1940.

Oh and don't forget the utterly useless Vickers helmet made of mild steel and giving all protection…

I love VCBW… for me it blends my love of history with my passion for fiction and storytelling. It provides me with the best of everything… actual historical parameters but with complete freedom for me to mix it up entirely… IMHO this is the glory of it…

I rarely use the actual source-books – instead I use historical actuality as a starting point and then build the world around it from there…

Erinn (betraying my heritage)is an interesting one. My game starts with the Abdication crisis, but moves very quickly so the hostilities are well under way in Erinn by Jan 1937.

This has allowed me to justify the expansion of the IFS forces through trade and international partnerships… This won't be to everyone's tastes… but is certainly interesting when the New York Armored Brigade and the Swiss Guard land in Country Cork and head north in support of the Motherland :-) :-) :-)

General Ism

I wonder if the Canadians would come to the assistance of the Motherland?

Any Fenians in Canada, circa 1938, to try to balance the odds?

The Fenians were Americans invading Canada (ignoring the Fenians in Ireland of the same period you may have been referencing instead and I misunderstood) so I wouldn't think that, Captain. And even R.C. Irish immigrants or second generation sons would have been more likely to have immigrated to the States I'd imagine if they were that anti-British so I wouldn't run a storyline like that.

But maybe have French-Canadians side with whoever was most likely to be pro-R.C. or have them as leftist volunteers from Quebec instead siding with the Internationale types?

English- and Scots-Canadians (first or second generation) could go with the pro-monarchy side.

This 2007 TMP link gives food for thought on this subject. It is a wargame AAR of the Nazi German invasion of Ireland 1940 (Operation Green) and the combined Commonwealth defence. Of possible interest I trust.

TMP link